1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mixing machinery and methods and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods for mixing condiments and other edible matter with ice cream and similar frozen confections, and the like.
2. Prior Art Summary
Frozen confections, "hard" ice cream, and similar foods, mixed with bits of fruit, syrup, condiments and other added ingredients are very popular and are consumed by the public in large quantities. Naturally, there is a need to devise machinery to satisfy this large demand through a product in which the added ingredients are suitably marbled or in which these ingredients are well distributed within the frozen confection without, however, either homogenizing the syrup and the confection or pulverizing particulate edible matter within the added ingredients. This mixing should be performed after the confection has been frozen in order to produce the visually pleasing and tasty streaks of syrup, fruit, and the like throughout the body of the confectionary product.
There are a number of problems, however, in mixing, or perhaps, blending the usually viscous and sticky syrups, fruit particles, nuts and other ingredients with a mass of hard, frozen confection. There is a further group of problems that mature from the need to keep the confection in a frozen condition during the mixing operation in order to preserve its freshness and taste as well as to avoid ice formation within the confection if the confection should soften, or melt, and thus make it necessary to refreeze the product.
These, we well as many other difficulties that have characterized the prior art have been the subject of a number of proposed solutions. The following patents are illustrative of some of these proposals.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,846,405 granted Feb. 23, 1932 to W. A. Stroud for "Drink Mixer" shows a motor driven agitator that protrudes into a container which is automatically raised and lowered relative to the agitator, when the agitator is energized.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,946,771 granted Feb. 13, 1934 to H. L. Strongson for "Automatically Timed Drink Mixer" shows an agitator within a cup in which the cup is gradually separated from the agitator as the mixing operation proceeds.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,982,339 granted Nov. 27, 1934 to T. R. Ehrenfeld for "Switch" shows a container that is moved slowly in an upward direction relative to the mixing element and rapidly in a relative downward direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,300,542 granted Nov. 3, 1942 to H. D. Forse for "Automatic Fountain Mixer" discloses an apparatus in which the mixing duration is automatically timed and the mixing vessel is lowered from the mixing element as the cycle is complete.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,724 granted July 3, 1973 to P. Carpigiani for "Ice Cream Machine" shows an ice cream freezer in which an extrusion mechanism is enclosed within a freezer coil.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,538 granted Apr. 27, 1976 to S. W. Warlick for "Portable Self-Contained Apparatus for Freezing Liquids" discloses a device in which the liquid container is rotated relative to the dasher.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,275 granted Dec. 6, 1977 to F. W. Herfeld for "Continuous Mixing Apparatus, Especially a Cooling Mixer and a Method for Producing Granulated Material" shows an apparatus for discharging uniformly compounded mixtures of batched input materials.
None of these patents, however, suggest a technique for combining syrups, fruit particles and other confections with hard ice cream or other frozen confections while it is in the frozen state to produce an attractively marbled or carefully blended product with chunks of condiments, and maintain hard ice cream.
Many other technical problems also must be solved for a mixing machine to be a truly satisfactory device. A machine of this nature must be able not only to process commercially significant quantities of product, but it also must be capable of being cleaned swifty and thoroughly as well as being safe to operate.
These and other problems that have characterized the prior art are overcome, to a large extent, through the practice of the invention. Each of two disclosed embodiments of the invention has an auger, or Archimedes' Screw that is rotated about its longitudinal axis. A double-walled hopper or funnel in which refrigerating coils are encased between the hopper walls is moved in the longitudinal direction to engage the condiments within the hopper with the rotating auger. The auger makes the ice cream and condiments turn and twist as the auger rotates first in one direction, then in the opposite direction and so on while the condiment mixes with the ice cream. The refrigerating coils, interposed between the inner and outer hopper walls, moreover, continuously refrigerate the product that is being processed within the hopper to maintain the ice cream hardness.
To prevent intermixing of flavors, a spray head is mounted on the apparatus close to the auger and the hopper when the hopper is telescoped over the auger. The spray head is thus enabled to direct a flow of water over the residue of ice cream and condiments on the contacting parts of the apparatus in order to swiftly cleanse the device and to prepare it to process the next order of condiment and ice cream.
Thus, there is provided in accordance with the invention, an apparatus for mixing syrups, nuts, fruit particles and the like with hard ice cream to produce an attractively marbled or uniformly blended and tasty product. The apparatus is, in this respect, a sanitary, easily and swiftly cleaned device and one in which specific provision is made for operator safety. In this respect, operator safety may be achieved through an electrical circuit that requires the operator to continuously manipulate two switches during the time needed to raise the hopper onto the auger. In this manner, the operator's hands must be positioned in a safe orientation relative to the moving parts of the apparatus, or all motion will stop.
These and other features of the invention are presented in more complete detail in the following description of two typical embodiments of the invention when taken with the figures of the drawings. The scope of the invention, however, is limited only through the appended claims.